Social Studies Beliefs and Commitments
- Because we know/understand that...the importance of civic responsibility
- the importance of social justice
- the role of power and authority
- that application of real world issues through current events promotes relevance in students’ lives
- that honoring cultural diversity plays a key role in learning
- students need opportunities to practice participation skills to carry on our democratic republic form of government
- integrating social studies disciplines within the field is important
- integrating social studies with other areas of the curriculum is important
- the importance of asking questions and gathering information on significant issues
- the importance of global awareness
- that students need an increased knowledge and awareness of the diversity that composes our local, national, and global community
- the importance of respecting and responding appropriately to others' cultures
Trevor-Wilmot District Social Studies Curriculum shall...
- reflect the in-depth study of topics or content
- increase the in-depth study of topics or content in each discipline and decrease cursory coverage of a lock step curriculum
- create a common understanding of essential learning targets and responsible citizenship
- be challenging, authentic, experiential, democratic, collaborative, sociable, reflective, constructivist, developmental, and expressive
- include the content and concepts of cultural responsiveness, government, democracy, leadership, and commerce
- examine the impact of race, gender, religion, and other diversities on historical events
- examine various leadership structures, the effects of Imperialism, trade, and commerce on local, state, national and global levels as well as collective resistance to these structures
- activities should engage students in inquiry and problem solving opportunities about significant human issues
- focus on the impact and connectedness of real world issues to students’ lives and the global community
- provide multiple points of view around a single topic or event
- provide provocative content for discussion
- include thoughtful participation through reading, writing, listening and speaking to convey a content literate community
- encourage authentic exploration of topics and problem solving skills by fostering cross-curricular collaboration
- engage students in critical reading and analysis, and assist students in understanding source reliability, positionality and bias
- encourage active citizenship
- encourage authentic discussion as a method of assessing and evaluating student learning
- provide authentic and relevant learning opportunities
- build upon students’ prior knowledge to increase students’ awareness of issues beyond their immediate experience
- be global in nature and include multiple viewpoints in a safe environment
- develop the social literacy of students by imbedding the historical, geographical political and economic understanding of the content into instruction
- provide opportunities for participation in diverse groups in order to communicate knowledge, viewpoints and experiences through a variety of activities
Trevor-Wilmot District Teachers shall…
- devote time to state standards and responsible citizenship
- provide strategies and skills to determine meaning of words and phrases as used in history/social studies text
- use multiple sources, including print and non-print, to engage readers in the construction of knowledge from particular cultural, political and social locations
- model civic responsibility
- empower students to engage in conversations and investigations that focus on multiple points of view
- guide student learning of content knowledge in order to understand the role of power and authority
- provide opportunities for students to research, have meaningful discussions, formulate questions, and manage bias and multiple viewpoints about significant human issues
- provide opportunities to explore how current events link to the past, present, and future
- activate students’ prior knowledge and cultural diversity to engage students
- activate students’ prior knowledge to develop understanding of cultural diversity
- establish student participation as an expectation and utilize participation as an assessment in discussion
- create integrated and thematic units to promote democratic participation
- teach students how to identify multiple points of view using multiple literary resources
- create learning experiences that are collaborative and inquiry based
- provide a variety of sources in order to help students learn the difference between primary and secondary sources, and point of view
- provide collaborative, real-world, inquiry-based and problem solving activities
- recognize authentic discussion as a form of assessment and model effective discussion techniques
- foster an environment of respect for diversity and view cultural differences as assets
- use multiple and authentic sources to engage students to develop a diverse an in-depth perspective
- rely on discussions, conferences, observations, student writing, and other assessments to determine student learning
Trevor-Wilmot District Students shall…
· be regularly involved in historical investigations with primary sources
· determine meaning of words and phrases in social studies text
· develop the necessary skills in order to think strategically and critically in order to form a global perspective
· know the importance of gathering information to create deliberate and informed viewpoints as responsible citizens
· know the importance of voting, rights , and responsibilities as citizens
· develop an appreciation and respect for other cultures beyond their own
· analyze how power and authority impact historical, current, and personal events
· engage in research, meaningful discussions, formulating questions, and managing bias and multiple viewpoints about significant human issues
· be able to provide and cite evidence to support their perspective regarding a link of events to the past, present, and future
· be able to understand, accurately summarize, and interpret point of view in reading from various sources/texts
· be active participants in their own learning
· participate in diverse groups in order to communicate knowledge, viewpoints and experiences through a variety of activities
· through their learning, extend their social, political, cultural and economic awareness
· understand bias and point of view in order to critically read and analyze multiple sources
· collaborate to engage in real-world, inquiry-based and problem solving activities in order to become active citizens
· actively participate in authentic discussions, take ownership for their learning, and understand the value of focused discussions
· participate in a classroom environment/culture that models various local, national and global communities
